A Mother's Worry
by ttfan111robstar1
Summary: Requested by DoryFan2002. A pregnant Jenny worries about becoming a mom and shares her fears with Charlie, who comforts her. One-Shot.


**Author's Note: This fic was requested by DoryFan2002. I hope you enjoy this fic and that it was what you were hoping for!**

 **Dedicated to Moms everywhere. When things get tough, just keep swimming.**

Jenny woke up for the fourth time that night in the early hours of the morning. She sighed, exhausted. Pregnancy had not been a friend to her thus far. She was due to give birth in a few days, and she was excited to meet her offspring, but there was something troubling her- and it was keeping her awake at night.

She looked at her husband Charlie, who was sleeping peacefully beside her, with envy. How could he sleep so easily when there was so much to worry about? She huffed quietly to herself, then swam to the back of their home, pacing quickly back and forth. The sound and movement of the water around him eventually stirred Charlie from his slumber. He yawned and wiped the sleep out of his eyes with his fins. Then, he turned to his wife.

"Honey, what are you doing up so early?" He asked. Jenny stopped her pacing and looked at her husband.

"I couldn't sleep." Technically it wasn't a lie. It just wasn't the whole truth.

Charlie gave her a bitter little smile. "That's what you said last night." He swam over to her and put a fin around her. "What's going on?" He prodded gently.

Jenny surprised herself and her husband by suddenly bursting into tears. Until that moment, she didn't realize how long she'd bottled up her feelings. "I'm sorry." She sobbed.

"Don't be." Charlie soothed. "Just tell me what's on your mind."

"I'm scared." She whispered.

"About?" He prompted.

"The baby..."

Misinterpreting her fears, he started trying to calm her. "I'm sure it will be over quickly."

"No, that's- that's not it." She sniffed.

"Then what is it?"

She paused. How could she put her fears into words? How could she express her terror, anxiety, and inner turmoil accurately enough to explain to her husband what she was feeling? Were there enough words to make the feelings plain? Were there enough words that Charlie could give her that could extinguish the tightness in her chest? She took a deep breath, let it out, and then spoke, unable to meet her husband's amber eyes.

"What if i'm awful at this?" She started. "I want the baby to have the best life possible, but what if I'm not a good mother? What if I can't give the baby what it needs? What if my best just isn't enough? I know I love it, but what if the baby doesn't feel the same? What if I'm not good enough? I want our baby to be happy and healthy... and I'm scared that I'll get in the way of that. Charlie, what if I'm the reason our baby has a bad life? What if I fail?" The last word was a tenuous, barely audible whisper. Then, she dissolved into tears once more.

For a few seconds, Charlie said nothing, trying to find the right words to comfort his wife with. Then, he pulled her close to him and quietly began to speak.

"You're not the only one who's afraid to fail." He admitted.

"W-What?" She asked, confused.

"Honey, I'm just as scared as you are. Don't you think I want to be a good father to our children?"

"Well yes, but-"

"But what?"

"You never said anything."

Charlie looked down guiltily, and sighed. "I know. I've been thinking about it for a long time."

"What? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to worry you." He admitted. "You have so much to deal with already... I didn't want to make it worse. It's not good for the baby. I should have told you. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too. I should have talked to you about this a long time ago. I was just scared that if I talked about it it might make it real..."

"I know the feeling. But I want you to know something, honey."

"What's that?"

He moved to hold her fin in his. "You aren't doing this on your own."

She finally looked into his eyes and saw the kindness and sincerity that she'd fallen in love with shining in them.

"I'm just as scared as you are. But you know that I would never let you be a bad parent. I know that you'll be an amazing mother. You're already an amazing wife. I think we're bound to make mistakes along the way, but we'll do the best we can and that's all we can do. I don't know what will happen to our baby in the future, but I know that our baby will always know how loved he or she is. As long as they know that, I think that we'll be doing alright."

Every word he spoke made sense, and suddenly Jenny felt like an enormous weight was lifted off of her fins. She knew that these were the exact words that she needed to hear. She looked up at her husband with shimmering eyes, so grateful that he understood exactly what she needed, and responded accordingly. She kissed him, love radiating from every movement.

"I love you so much." She whispered. He grinned.

"I know. And I love you too. But you should really get some sleep. For the baby's sake." He added. Jenny smiled and half nodded to him. They moved to get to their favorite sleeping spot and snuggled up to her husband. She loved him so much, and so desperately. Somehow he always knew what she needed. It was one of the things she loved most about him. His sage words of advice had rang true and eased her mind. Suddenly her fears, well founded as they had been, seemed silly. She figured that every pregnant woman had this same fear. It was as universal as it was natural. She still had some worries inside of her, but instead of a roaring blast her anxiety had toned down to a whisper. Blocking out the voice of worry in her mind, she closed her eyes and fell into a peaceful sleep.


End file.
